


Betrayal comes from within

by Miphan



Category: Black Clover - 田畠裕基 | Tabata Yuki
Genre: Gen, Manga Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-17 17:52:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14836361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miphan/pseuds/Miphan
Summary: In the end, Yami doesn't know anything.Things rarely turn down the way he expects.





	Betrayal comes from within

**Author's Note:**

> *Spoilers for Chapter 142*

Things rarely turn down the way he expects.

The wind is harsh against his face as he speeds above the town surrounding the palace that is looming in the distance. His eyes are wide, set on the collision of mana in front of him. A battle ensuing too far away for him to interfere.

Marx's message had been frantic, a trait that he hasn't seen before on the advisor. Marx is known for his vigor and patience, two necessities when dealing with Julius Novachrono in a daily basis. That impatience of his... It can only mean one thing: Lord Julius is in danger.

His ki is telling him to hurry, warning him of the powerful magic being gathered. Soon enough swords of light fall from the cloudless sky and he is filled with dread, knowing that his magic isn't enough to stop them. The city expands below him, filled with civilians unable to protect themselves.

He should have more faith in the Magic Emperor. A large clock covers the sky, its black pointers counting backwards. The swords reel back as if entranced and disappear along with the Emperor's magic.

He summons more of his mana, urging his broom to go faster. But he is too late. He lands in the ruins of a previously well constructed tower and for a few heartbeats stares at the sight before him.

There is Licht, the leader of the Midnight Sun, standing above the Emperor's still form and clutching the two stones, that have adorned Julius' robes since Yami can remember, in his hand. He is wearing William's clothes, William's body, William's face. But the scar is gone, replaced by those black tattoos that Yami can't give a meaning to.

He is crying, he notices dully.

A single tear is falling from his left eye. For a moment, Yami sees a purple color overtake it, but it is soon won over by gold.

All the pieces fall together in his mind.

For a moment he is back in that Tree, the one William can make with his magic. With the strong twigs and vibrant leaves and occasional blooming flowers. He is cutting down an enemy with his blade, landing beside the fellow Captain he just saved. Even though the Magic Captains aren't a tight-knit group, the camaraderie among them is strong. Like a river whose waters separate at some point, but are the same in their essence.

Around them the Tree continues to grow, hiding the blue sky from view. It looks innocent enough, but Yami knows. He has fought with the Golden Dawn's Captain enough times to realize that the roots are expanding as they steal the mana from the kingdom's invaders. At times like these, he is glad that the masked man isn't the Clover Kingdom's enemy.

Mask. Enemy. The wood around them grows. Birds are resting on the higher branches, singing a happy tune.

He figures that it's a good time as any to ask.

He wants to be mistaken.

And yet he asks. He asks the question that had been plaguing his mind for a long time. He feels an ounce of excitement at the prospect of seeing the face that only Lord Julius has seen before. The secret isn't even entrusted to his own squad.

William's face, when exposed, is scarred. Black above his nose until the roots of his light-colored hair. His purple eyes bore into him, patient and kind. For a moment he imagines an accident, a fire in his younger days, one that he barely survived. It's a curse, he says, from his family.

Yami doesn't ask for further details, he wouldn't, but William tells him anyway. Yami listens to the story, silently comparing it to his own. A noble family. A large house. A childhood full of responsibilities and disappointment. He remembers his past self, a child lost in a foreign land. Alone with only his wits to carry him through the days. Julius had been a warm light showing him the way, giving him a purpose other than walking aimlessly through the streets. Believing in him. In his magic. Making him a captain.

He and William aren't that different, he concludes.

They have both been saved by him after all.

The memory fades.

Now he is doubting his own words.

The Magic Emperor hasn't moved, eyes half-open but not seeing anything particularly. There isn't any light left in them. A cold feeling burrows through him at the thought, the possibility. There is blood drenching his robes, forming a puddle of crimson red around him.

His ki alerts him of Marx's presence. The advisor is standing alone behind a nearby window, eyes glued to the Magic Emperor's fallen form and face white as a sheet. He barks an order at him and turns to the enemy, knowing that he will be obeyed. The healers should be here soon.

His attack pierces thin air as one of Licht's subordinates, whose name Yami can't -hadn't bothered to- remember, takes him away. Yami curses under his teeth, before sinking to his knees next to the man he has so much respect for.

The Emperor's words are a whisper that only reaches Yami's ears. He speaks of magic, of course, and the new generation of magic knights. Marx will get mad, he says with a cough that was meant to be a chuckle.

Yami's eyes are burning with both sorrow and anger. His hands are trembling. He doesn't want that man to die. The one who accepted him, who tutored him, who made him what he is today. Who he dares to view as a father.

Yami, I leave the rest to you.

He can't do anything but agree.

The Magic Emperor loses consciousness with a smile and Yami stands up, vowing not to be a disappointment. He trusts Marx enough to take care of the Emperor in whatever condition he finds him in.

He will defeat the enemies.

He will protect the civilians.

And...

_I am Licht._

_William is sleeping._

He will wake him up.

Everything it's up to him now after all.


End file.
